Charlie Victor Romeo 3D

Robert Berger and Karlyn Michelson’s Charlie Victor Romeo is one of the most terrifying movies you will ever see. And it was shot the Wim Wenders way in native stereoscopic 3D format on a minimal set (a cockpit mockup surrounded by blackness). The film grabbed journalists' attention at the Sundance festival where the projectionists tried -and failed- for 45 minutes to play the film in its intended 3D stereoscopic format. Finally screened in 2D only, the movie left nevertheless a strong impression on the audience. We will have to wait for theatrical distribution to assess if 3D makes the film more human and more real, as intended by its filmmakers.

Story

"Charlie Victor Romeo" is a filmed adaptation of a play that was first performed in 1999 utilizing actual transcripts of cockpit recordings from airline incidents as the script, with actors portraying the crew. Extolled by aviation professionals, "Charlie Victor Romeo" creates more hope than fear by showing composure and professionalism of the pilots. The name itself comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet designation for cockpit voice recorder, or "CVR".

A Crowdfunded Project

"Charlie Victor Romeo" was funded with 25,000$ from Kickstarter members. Here is part of the pitch used to convince investors:

"Over the past 12 years there have been numerous discussions and investigations into how CVR might be brought to a larger audience through another medium. In most cases the conclusion has been that although other artists want to utilize our "brand" they have no interest in preserving the artistic vision that makes it the dynamic presentation that it is. The power of our production is the intimate communication of the intensity and emotion of these emergencies, communicated between our cast and the audience. That's the energy of live performance, of theater. How do we take that closeness, that connection, and carry it over to the cinema?

When we saw our technology partners’ demonstration of their stereoscopic 3D camera technology, designed specifically for the recording of live performance, we were amazed and completely hooked. To have an opportunity to place an audience in the best seat in the theater serves one of the requirements we needed to make the Charlie Victor Romeo Film."

Opinion

FilmSchoolRejects said: "This is a minimalist film and definitely unconventional, even by Sundance standards. But it has been the most powerful film I’ve seen all week. It’s probably not something you’ll want to see just before you take a trip, as I’m already dreading my flight home, but this is a movie that will stay with you for a long time. It’s a very respectful and frightening look at what goes on behind those locked doors on the flight deck."